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"I knew I was being cruel, like when i'd taunt him if he didn't know some big word. But there was something fascinating - albeit in a sick way - about teasing Hassan. Kind of like when we used to play insect torture. Except now, he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass." pg. 54

Oh Amir, you're such a selfish little prick, you! I don't understand why Amir would ever want to mess with Hassan. I don't think Amir knows why he does it either. It especially makes him super antiheroic when Hassan is so foily (does that mean he's shiny? =D). Hassan's total submission to Amir's will and his portrayal as someone pure and innocent is right out the antithesis of an antihero which helps to draw a starker contrast between the two characters. Yet what complexifies it is their relationship as practically brothers. They spend most of their time together, playing, talking, doing kid things. Yet social customs, like Amir's being a Pashtun and Hassan's being a Hazara, and Amir's whacked-out personality make this relationship tragic.

It's Hassan. He's a foil character. Nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk.